By Paula Stuart-Warren, CG.
Since 2007! A little of this, a little of that. Miscellaneous "stuff" and genealogical gold. Occasional fluff, but with a meaning. Notes from a full-time and Board-certified professional genealogist & friends on family history research, genealogical events, life, and family in Minnesota and elsewhere.

24 May 2014

This Memorial Day weekend is a time to think about all the brave men and women who have been in the military service of the United States and gave their lives for us. I am especially thinking about one Korean War serviceman, Gerald J. Mueller, from Buckman, Minnesota. Jerry was married to my Mom's only sibling, my Aunt Jeanie. Jerry never came home from the war. I was a toddler when he was declared Missing in Action (MIA). I remember his Mom, Grandparents, and two half-brothers. I recently reconnected with one of those half-brothers when we were both commenting on a Facebook page for Old St. Paul [Minnesota].

There are many websites that list the various MIA's from 20th century wars. Unfortunately some records from the past century's wars, especially up through WWII were lost in a fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis back in 1973. I shudder whenever I think about that loss. It's horrific enough that we lost so many military personnel in various wars and add to that with the loss of their records.

We have the chance to make sure the same never happens to some of our earlier military records. The War of 1812 Pension and Bounty Land applications are housed at the National Archives in Washington, DC. The National Archives has faced many years of decreased budget and decreased staffing. The Federation of Genealogical Societies has been spearheading the War of 1812 Preserve the Pensions Project.

As of now, 35% of the funds have been raised. That does leave 65% more to go. If you donate $25, that amount is matched by Ancestry.com. If FGS, genealogists, historians, service personnel, hereditary organizations, and others raise the full amount, all those records will be digitized and online for FREE forever.

I just checked and more than 1 million digitized images are already online for free atFold3.com. These encompass War of 1812 service anytime between 1812 and 1815. WE did this!

The search capability is helpful. Search by given name, surname, both names, geographic place, date, or topic. I searched for several surnames and found great details. Then I searched for the term Indian and found many pension records for Native Americans that will be helpful in a work project. The next search was for a couple towns where my own ancestors lived in Wisconsin and I found affidavits from men living in those towns in the pension records for other men.

We can't let these records sit and chance further deterioration. They need to be digitized NOW. Please donate today. Please visit the Preserve the Pensions page on the Federation of Genealogical Societies website.

Donating is painless. There are several methods. I have made a few donations over the past couple of years and am proud to say I am a member of the Preservation Patriots who have donated $250 or more. Why not make one or more donations over the next few months and join me and many others who feel these records must be preserved. Any amount is welcomed. Donate Now. Please.

22 May 2014

There's nothing better than attending a genealogical conference or institute for great knowledge, camaraderie, networking, and on-the-spot help. There are many great educational opportunities. I would love to meet many readers in just 2 weeks at the Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree but I do realize that some have family, work, health, and budget limitations.

However, the SCGS is offering a great array of Jamboree presentations via live-streaming right in your own home. The first day has a fee and the three following days are free.

You'll
find a complete list of the sessions, with links to the registration
pages and as well as registration information on the Jamboree website and also on the right hand column of this blog.

Here are the specifics:Family History and DNA Conference - June 5, 2014-Five streamed sessions, 10:00am to 6:00pm PDT-Pay for view, $30 per session-All-Day Pass $130 includes complete DNA syllabus-Requires a two-step registration process-Sessions available for 30 days after initial webcast-Sessions will not be available in the SCGS webinar archive

CeCe Moore: "Real World Stories from the Desk of a Genealogy DNA Detective"

Southern California Genealogy Jamboree - June 6-8, 2014-14 streamed sessions over three days-Initial webcast provided free of charge-Cost is partially underwritten by Diamond Sponsor Ancestry.com-Many sessions will eventually be available in the SCGS webinar archive for viewing by members

Please
help us spread the word about this outstanding educational opportunity
for family historians and genealogists from around the globe. Share
this news with your cousins, friends, society members, and followers.

18 May 2014

I have received several requests asking how someone might hear my lectures. The most requested ones are railroad research, research planning, research reports for ourselves, NUCMC, and the WPA. Of course, your society may engage me as a speaker. Just email me PaulaStuartWarren at gmail.com for my info packet with all the details.

Many of my lectures (and those of many other speakers) have been recorded and the recordings are available for purchase. These recordings keep me company when I am driving long distances in my car.

Not all presentations are suitable for recording. This may include lectures that depend heavily on the visuals, first-time lectures, or those presented in workshop format. All recordings are copyrighted and intended for individual listening. Any other use must be only with permission of the speaker and may require a fee.

Fleetwood Onsite Conference Recording available in CD and download formats. Fleetwood has recorded the Federation of Genealogical Societies 2011 Springfield, IL, 2012 Birmingham, AL, and 2013 Fort Wayne, IN conferences.

JAMB Inc. available in CD formats. JAMB has recorded a variety of national and state level conferences for several years.

If you wish to purchase the accompanying handout for any of my recorded lectures, please send me an email for details.

While I was at the Ohio Genealogical Society's conference in Sandusky, Ohio earlier this month, I was interviewed by Drew Smith for the Genealogy Guys Podcast that is hosted by Drew and George G. Morgan. We covered several topics including railroads, research planning, and genealogical institutes. I was able to mention my own railroad connections and love of railroads. Drew is a great interviewer. At the end I loved hearing that George picked up several tips from my railroad lecture at that conference.

You can listen to the entire May podcast at http://genealogyguys.com. My segment is at the end, but the rest of the podcast is very worthwhile.

12 May 2014

Do you have these events on your summer genealogy calendar? I will be presenting sessions at all of these events and would love to meet you there. Have a genealogy question? Bring it along to the event and I will help you figure out the answer! Just click on the underlined words to reach the website and see all the details for each event. Each of these has something for all levels of research experience. Learn more about online and offline research, records, repositories, methodology, and more from experienced presenters.

July 20-25, 2014: Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Five days of exception genealogical education and a syllabus on a beautiful college campus. There are still open slots in some of the courses.

August 3-8, 2014: Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, "On the Road," Orchard Lake, Michigan (suburban Detroit). Five days of exception genealogical education and a syllabus on a
beautiful college campus. There are still open slots in some of the
courses.

August 27-30, 2014: Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference, San Antonio, Texas. Four days of genealogical education, large exhibit hall filled with vendors, extensive syllabus, special luncheons with a speaker, evening events to celebrate Texas history, all adjacent to the famed San Antonio River Walk.

09 May 2014

Way back in 1989 I had the pleasure of meeting St. Paul Mayor George Latimer. One of the large genealogy conferences (NGS) took place in St. Paul. I found out that he was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and had an interest in family history.

He accomplished many things for the benefit of St. Paul over the 14 years he served as our Mayor. He still resides in the city and has had a great honor bestowed upon him. The central St. Paul Public Library in downtown St. Paul is being renamed the George Latimer Central Library.

I love this library building and took the bus to it as a child, researched there for school projects while in high school, even went there with a special beau (that's all I will say about those visits!), and used it for family history research.

To read a very nice article about Mayor Latimer and the library at Twin Cities.com, click here.

08 May 2014

National Train Day is this Saturday, May 10th. It's a great week for trains in my area. After a 40+ year absence, trains are again arriving and departing from Union Depot in downtown St. Paul. The first "new" arrival was late last evening. And late it was, by 70 minutes.

The Depot has been beautifully refurbished. It is now a place where travelers can board local buses, MegaBus, Greyhound, Jefferson Lines, and in mid-June, the Green Line light rail opens. That line runs from downtown St. Paul to downtown Minneapolis.

The Union Depot is a place where my paternal Grandpa Earl James Stuart took my cousin Dave and me to watch the trains. Grandpa was a superintendent with the Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Paul, & Omaha Railway. His brother LaMer Stuart and Uncles Fred and Lou (L.F.) Slaker worked for the same railroad in Wisconsin and Minnesota. A maternal Great Granduncle Sam Dow (Daoust) worked for the Omaha as did maternal Great Granduncle Thomas Hanley, a half-brother to my Grandpa Michael Hanley. I keep writing about these men in hope some descendant of theirs ever reads my blog!

07 May 2014

Cyndi Ingle of Cyndislist.com has a new blog. It's dedicated to those of use who need help with Evernote. I am a new user of Evernote to help me keep track of many things, add notes and images and so much more. I am happy she has this new help for those of use who are technologically challenged at times.

Paula Stuart-Warren, Certified Genealogist℠

A life-long Minnesotan born and raised in St. Paul.

FGS Conference 2015

Upcoming Appearances

I love meeting blog readers at the venues where I am presenting. The following are places where I will be speaking in the coming months. Click on the underlined words for more information on the event.

Need a Speaker?

Looking for a speaker for your group or organization? I have spoken for genealogical, historical, civic, and church groups all across the U.S. and in Canada. My presentations are educational, enlightening, and entertaining. Each is accompanied by a handout with further information including books, websites, databases and more.

Please e-mail me about my availability for your event date. I have a several page Speaker Packet with detail on numerous topics, experience, specific details, fees, and how I can help you promote your event. That can be sent via an email attachment. PaulaStuartWarren@gmail.com.